


Brighter than a Summer Sunny Day

by TifaSugarEng (tifasugar)



Series: JeanMarco Revival 2019 [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Artist Jean Kirstein, Insecure Jean, JeanMarcoRevival2019, M/M, sunshine marco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 14:04:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21120014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tifasugar/pseuds/TifaSugarEng
Summary: This is a series of 7 fics related to each other ♥~~~~~~~~JeanMarco Revival 2019 - DAY 1 / SCHOOLJEAN POV"Maybe it was because of his cheap clothes and weird hair. Maybe because his expression wasn’t friendly at all. But he couldn’t help it, he just didn’t like people.But then there’s always the exception that proves the rule: a freckled boy with a smile brighter than a summer sunny day."





	Brighter than a Summer Sunny Day

He didn’t like people and the feeling was mutual.

The first day in a new school and he already knew it’d be a lonely year. Everyone seemed to get along from before and besides the first side glances no one came closer to talk to him. Maybe it was because of his cheap clothes and weird hair. Maybe because his expression wasn’t friendly at all. But he couldn’t help it, he just didn’t like people.

But then there’s always the exception that proves the rule: a freckled boy with a smile brighter than a summer sunny day. Everything about him radiated positivity, from his soft voice to his body language. And it wasn’t surprising that people greeted him happily, who wouldn’t be more than glad to see him?

The thing is that Jean wasn’t used to sunlight, his personal shadow following him wherever he went. And for this reason, he didn’t feel worthy of even looking at him for more than a few seconds. It was painful, satisfying, made him feel miserable, also warm. 

He was so confused and conflicted he didn’t know how to react when he came closer to his desk.

_ Oh no, oh no, he won't like me, he'll see I'm weird, oh no. _

“Hi! You are the new kid, right? I’m Marco, Bodt. Nice to meet you!”

Jean looked at his freckled face, his bright brown eyes, the softness of his full cheeks, that dark hair shining beautifully, and he panicked. Flustered, he didn’t know how to react, glancing to the side, to the rest of his classmates looking closely at their interaction. They knew he wasn’t worth so much kindness, they just knew how awkward he was. So with a puff and pushing his desk and the boy away, he run outside the class, mumbling.

“Just leave me alone”

And so they did.

#### ~

####  **At first, it wasn’t a problem. **

He went to his classes, studied, and ignored everyone around him. It was always the same in every school he’s been in the last year, there was no reason to believe this one would be any different. But then there was Marco and his closest group of friends. Yes, they left him alone as soon he asked them to, but the price was listening and watching him from afar, his chest tightening at every happy laugh. 

Sometimes he felt sad.

More than once he thought about talking to them, maybe to Armin. He seemed nice enough, he even smiled at him sometimes but Jean chickened out at the last second every time he tried. He could also try to come closer to Historia, the girl whispered to him once what page were they reading when he got lost in class. But there was Ymir glued to her and throwing killer glances, she was scary as fuck so no, it wasn’t an option either.

Mostly, he felt really lonely.

He knew he wasn’t a regular kid, he didn’t like what most of them did and people called him names after finding his sketchbook. Because Jean loved drawing: realistic style, cartoonish, manga, it didn’t matter as long as he had a pen and a blank page. 

He spent his free time in a quiet space he found near his place. It wasn’t a forest per se, but close enough. And there was this spot below two particularly dense trees, silent, perfect lighting, the trunk of one of them just fine to lean his back against it. And that Sunday afternoon wasn’t special in any way, just him sitting, headphones on and using his knees as a surface for a huge stiff folder. It served as a table for the notebook in which he sketched everything that came to mind: a cat stretching, some bug in a rock, a woman dancing, Marco, a powerful warrior, Marco, wings inside a coat of arms, Marco and his freckled smiling face.

He was so absorbed in a particular wrinkle of his nose, banging slightly his head along with the music loud in his ears, he didn’t notice the company. It wasn’t until a shadow covered his sketchbook that he didn’t raise his eyes from the page, giving a start and a gasp looking at that very same wrinkle in real life.

“What, what are you, why?” He felt warmth creeping up his face, down his chest, hiding his art from the smiling boy sitting beside him.

“That’s good! Is it me?” He looked genuinely happy, Jean looked away and tried to swallow, embarrassed as he’s never been.

“Uh-hum, you have a, uhm… very drawable face”

“I wish I could draw but my hands are just not made for that. Do you live close from here?”

“Why do you care?” He knew how he sounded —angry, wary, distant. But he was so afraid of being hurt he couldn’t help it.

“Well” Marco shrugged, rubbing his nose and smiling shyly, “I’d like to know you better, and since we are alone in here without the rest of the class I thought… I don’t know, we could just hang out?”

“But why? Why me? I’m not...” _ interesting, cool, nice. _He almost whispered, just amazed by his interest and the honesty behind his chocolate brown eyes.

“We’re classmates and I just, it doesn’t feel right seeing you all alone. I mean” He shifted in his seat, moving a bit further from him, “if you want it to keep it that way it’s ok. I just don’t want you to feel lonely when we could be talking or something”.

“...You are too nice”

Marco just shrugged. 

Jean looked at his sketchbook as if it held the answers he needed. He wanted Marco to stay but if he did, he’d discover how socially awkward Jean was. And he’d be disgusted. And then he’d look at him _like that _like everyone did in his old school. 

“What is your favorite thing to draw?” Jean let go of the firm grip on his sketchbook looking at Marco. He asked it without looking at him, his back against the same tree, and his eyes focused on the leaves above them.

“I… uhm… I’m not sure” Marco didn’t say anything, giving him some time. He swallowed a few times, trying to find his voice, telling himself that it _would _be fine just for this time. “People, mostly, I guess”.

“Oh, yeah, I could recognize myself instantly so it must be that you are good at it, right?” Jean didn’t answer, still in awe by how Marco seemed so chill about what was in his drawing book. “How long have you been drawing?”

The conversation flowed like that, at first a bit clumsy and insecure, more confident the more Marco talked about himself. It was easy to listen to him just chatting, that cute tiny smile on his face forcing him to smile as well, his open and kind attitude dissipating Jean’s tension and distrust. 

He found out a lot about him and even about his group of friends from class. Jean told him a bit about his own life... maybe a bit too much. He told Marco about his family flying to France because his father got a really good job offer, how he didn’t want to leave but that meant moving with his aunt and uncle. And Marco did the same, telling him that his family wasn’t the traditional one either, that he had two moms, one of them Italian. They ended up talking about movies, video games, and music. It was easy, too easy, and Jean felt himself really smile for the first time in who knew how long.

He didn’t want to say goodbye, standing in front of his house watching Marco go after sharing phone numbers and giving him the drawing. And he didn’t want to because he was afraid of this being just a once in a lifetime situation. He didn’t sleep much, wondering if Marco would talk to him in class like they did when they were alone. He knew that people would stare if he did, people would ask Marco _why _was he talking to the strange boy sitting at the back.

With a lump on his throat and a nasty weight in his stomach, he got in his classroom the next day. Jean walked directly towards his seat, eyes downcast as usual, ignoring his classmates yells and laughs. He took out his books, trying not to think, trying not to look up as soon as Marco’s “_ good morning” _ came from the door. 

“Hey, take a look at this, I tried but it’s such a mess” Marco hit his shoulder sitting on the spot right next to his, taking out a notebook while laughing, shaking his head, “I don’t know why I bother, it’s horrible”

He placed it over his books and Jean stared at what was supposed to be a portrait of himself but instead was… a complete mess. He bit the inside of his cheek, divided between laughing and crying because he was talking to him.

_ He is talking to me. In front of everyone. _

“It’s…" He swallowed, chuckling softly and trying to ignore the tiny tears at the corner of his eyes, “it’s terrible”

“What? Marco, have you tried drawing again?” Sasha took the notebook right from his desk.

“You know it is forbidden to you” Connie added, looking at Jean, “every time he draws a demon comes crawling from the depths of hell”

“Hey! It’s bad but…”

“Come on, Marco!” Connie turned the notebook towards him, doing a silly voice as if it was the drawing talking, “please, kill me, end my suffering”

“I just wanted to try cause Jean is really good at it! I felt like, inspired or something…” Marco said, taking the notebook from Connie’s hands with a pout.

“Oh, you draw?” Historia sat in front of him, happiness in her eyes, “can I see?”

“I…” Jean looked at Marco, asking for help. Marco just smiled, opening the notebook in the middle and taking out his draw, the one from the day before.

“He did this to me yesterday, isn’t it cool?”

“No way you did that” Sasha gasped out loud, “I WANT ONE”

“Oh! That’s so nice!” Historia said, standing on tiptoes to see.

“What’s going on?” Eren asked from the door walking towards them.

Jean felt a bit overwhelmed but soon enough the attention drop to Marco’s mess rather than Jean’s abilities, After all, it was funnier messing with a guy than complementing one. Marco smiled at him, hitting his shoulder with his arm affectionately and Jean smiled again feeling included, happy, warm. Thanks to a freckled boy with a smile brighter than a summer sunny day.

**Author's Note:**

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> 
> Hope you liked it! Most of these fics are really really soft ♥  
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